Look Around HR

The conventional wisdom these days seems to be that the job market is so bad that any opening will result in endless resumes and applications (as someone who is recruiting RNs in rural Mississippi, I know that not to be true). However, the reason you can’t nail down those top recruits is not necessarily because they don’t like the job or pay, but because of how the internet job postings looks.

From an MRI Network study:

According to MRINetwork, one of the world’s largest search and recruitment organizations, that situation may have more to do with the posting than with the job.

“Job postings have to do more than describe responsibilities and list requirements,” says Michael Jalbert, President of MRINetwork. “Even if they don’t consciously think about it, most companies are hoping to attract the passive candidate – the person who has a job and is not actively seeking to change, the person who is already filling the position for some other company. In order to get that person’s attention, the job posting has to inspire.”

To paraphrase some of Jalbert’s advise, he says to highlight your selling points early on- before the job description or candidate requirements. The pitch that you would give at a job fair or open house should be the first thing potential candidates see. And you also need to make sure you include what sets your company apart. Chances are, you have some competitors no matter what business you are in. Talk about your history and where you are going as a company.

And last, but not least, keep it short. Those sought after passive candidates are not going to spend all day to see if you offer free medical insurance or if your company made much money last year.

You paid a lot for that Monster or CareerBuilder ad, you might as well show it off.